Establishing Paternity Offers Benefits to a Child

 Posted on November 29, 2016 in Paternity

In today’s technologically advanced society, blood and DNA testing have reached new heights and are fairly commonplace. Not only can at-home kits now give people the opportunity to learn about their heritage and health profile, the accuracy of such tests has been recognized in legal proceedings to establish certain connections for some time. One of the most typical areas in which these types of tests are used is to establish paternity between a child and a parent. The reason behind it is to formally recognize legal rights and responsibilities in the eyes of the law.

Who Are the Players?

Matters of paternity usually involve the mother of a child and an alleged father or fathers to whom she is not married. Other family members such as grandparents can also be involved in a paternity proceeding. In turn, establishing paternity then center around matters of child support, child custody (parental responsibilities) or even adoption.

Most cases involve a birth mother trying to establish paternity of her child so the outcome is formalized in a parentage decree. This decree is a legal document which then enables the child to benefit in certain ways to enrich their well-being will still of minor age. In Illinois, there is a certain time frame in which to establish paternity, and a family law attorney can help you learn more about those deadlines.

Some ways a child gains rights by having paternity established include:

• Involvement of both parents in the child’s life;
• Financial support;
• Health insurance and life insurance benefits; and
• Possible college tuition contributions.

There are different ways paternity can be established, including both parents acknowledging the man in question is the father, moving forward with a court proceeding, or having social services involved to attempt to conclusively prove the paternity of a biological father.

The latter two often require genetic testing and could involve extended family members to be part of that testing process. In Illinois, a man is presumed to be the father of the child if genetic test results show that he is at least 1,000 times more likely to be the child’s father than a random man.

Experienced Legal Representation

In the event that you decide to proceed through the court system, hiring an attorney can be a daunting process over and above the legal issue you face. It is important to understand, however, that an experienced Lombard family law attorney can make things less confusing and overwhelming than attempting to go it alone. The compassionate lawyers at A. Traub & Associates are here to provide the help you need at a difficult time. Contact our office today for a confidential consultation.

Source:

https://www.illinoislegalaid.org/legal-information/establishing-parentage-paternity